Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice does it all, literally

Todaro is channeling the spirit of this four-day festival, which, beginning Thursday night with a gospel concert, kicks into high gear Friday.

Timothy Malcolm

Maria Todaro is speaking about the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice. Now in its fourth year, the festival brings opera, gospel, classical and other genres together in a pristine mountainside setting. And it’s an entirely volunteer-run event.

As Todaro, co-founder and opera singer, speaks about the challenge behind being both a producer and performer, Louis Otey, co-founder and opera singer, blasts into the room huffing and puffing. One of their musicians is sick. This isn't a positive development, especially one day from the festival opening. And Otey is catching his breath to figure out a plan. He also happens to be starring in “Rigoletto” Saturday evening. The last thing Otey should be doing is wasting his breaths.

“If you were here you’d be laughing. This is the picture of how we relate,” says Todaro, herself laughing.

Todaro is channeling the spirit of this four-day festival, which, beginning Thursday night with a gospel concert, kicks into high gear Friday. Sure, the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice is wildly successful, bringing 50,000 people to the narrow hamlet defined by the quirky Esopus Creek. But once you dig into the details of the event, there’s an almost comical element to its nature and success. First is Phoenicia itself, navigable in about three minutes by car. And just about every inch of the space will be utilized for the festival – venues are the Shandaken Theatrical Society playhouse, St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church, Phoenicia United Methodist Church, and the Phoenicia Parish Field. It’s at the field where the festival will produce Guiseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and “Requiem.” The latter, which includes 120 choristers, a 40-piece orchestra and soloists – including Todaro – happens Sunday afternoon.

That’s another example of the comic nature of this festival: the sheer number and caliber of artists. “Requiem” also features tenor Eduardo Villa, soprano Rosa D’Imperio and Stephan Kirchgraber. “Rigoletto” has tenor Barry Banks, who has a long history with the Metropolitan Opera; Nancy Allen Lundy, who has performed with the English National Opera and New York City Opera; and Barry Smoak, who sang with Boston Lyric Opera and Keith Lockhart. And these artists are performing for free.

“We’re already like almost $1 million operation at costs, if we had to pay (everyone),” Todaro says.

“If a corporation was ... just relying on volunteers, it’s insane.”

But the festival is approaching that point where the comic nature of things takes a backseat to critical decision-making. Todaro thinks next year may reveal if the festival can be sustainable for potential job creation.

But if anything has been proven in this region, it’s that passionate artists can create and sustain business models that provide entertainment and education. Todaro and Otey don’t shy away from the latter, hosting morning lectures, vocal workshops and community sing events. These, along with children’s storytelling sessions, help provide the backbone for the festival’s true mission: to open, through song, the minds of people of all ages.

“We’ve been passively seeing what others are doing,” says Todaro. “The Met has reached out, and people are seeing opera and that the singer doesn’t look like a potato.

“The look of opera houses have changed, the look of opera has changed; people have found opera a little more sexy.”

Sexy, yes. Serious, too. Because if the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice has said anything, it’s that people are taking it seriously.